By Jerry Mershon, Hawaii Community College
The Honolulu Community College (HCC) Students Thanked And Recognized (STAR) Award, established 27 years ago, was originally designed for students who worked for the various departments on campus at HCC. The program is currently coordinated by the Student Life & Development Office, which has recently converted its STAR “Thank You” meeting, formerly held during the day, into an annual spring semester gala evening event.
Today, students who have gone above and beyond in the classroom are eligible to be nominated by their instructors to receive a STAR Award. Two Physics 197 instructors, both Shipyard retirees now teaching in the apprentice program, made 2016 the first year Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance apprentices have been nominated for the award. The two second year Shop 56 Nuclear Operations apprentices selected are Fathima Lau, nominated by Code 2340 Nuclear Test Engineering Division retiree Richert Au Hoy, and Karana Vierra, nominated by Code 740 Rigging & Equipment Operations Division retiree Jerry Mershon.
Hoy said that Lau, on her own time, tutored many of her apprentice program classmates in physics. Mershon said that, during class discussions and oral quizzing, Vierra consistently demonstrated superior preparation for the day’s physics topics by reading ahead and otherwise learning on her own. She already had a Bachelor of Arts (from Hanover College, Indiana) when she was hired into the apprentice program and is generally an excellent student. Mershon, who has incorporated Learning Organization concepts into his physics classes, said, for the team learning discipline, his students self-select four- or five-person problem-solving teams. Vierra was a leader in problem solving exercises and her team out-performed all others in Mershon’s three physics classes earlier this year.
Congratulations to Fathima and Karana for being chosen as the Shipyard’s premiere STAR Award recipients. You have both done Shop 56 proud!
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